| Despite the significant professional and personal challenges this spring has brought to all of us, none of us in the Koch Institute community has lost our sense of urgency in bringing forward new solutions for cancer. We have used our time away from the bench for thoughtful research reflection, analysis and design. Now, as of June 15, we have begun returning to our laboratories in a carefully managed capacity. We are proceeding slowly and thoughtfully, learning as we go, and will add capacity over the next several weeks as regulatory guidelines and public health conditions allow. Following this edition, Cancer Solutions goes on summer hiatus. When we resume publication in the fall, the focus of our coverage will return to the Koch Institute’s cancer research, and periodically include updates on significant developments in the COVID-19 research undertaken by several of our research groups. |
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 | Counting Your Antigens: Quantity Begets Quality
A team led by White Lab grad student Lauren Stopfer developed a tool that may help researchers and clinicians make cancer immunotherapies more effective: a platform that precisely quantifies the number of antigens presented on cell surfaces. In a study appearing in Nature Communications, researchers profiled changes in cell-surface antigens resulting from treatment with CDK4/6 inhibitors, a class of anticancer agents. Their results added to a growing body of evidence that CDK4/6 inhibitors may increase the effectiveness of immune checkpoint blockade inhibitors, and demonstrated that the platform could be used to identify new immunotherapy targets. Because of its sensitivity and speed, the new platform could be used in the clinic to tailor treatment strategies to individual patients.
The study was funded in part by the MIT Center for Precision Cancer Medicine and the Koch Institute Frontier Research Program through the Kathy and Curt Marble Cancer Research Fund. |
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AACR-uing Honors
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) named Phillip A. Sharp as the recipient of the 17th AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research. The award recognizes Sharp’s groundbreaking research into RNA splicing and gene expression, which shaped understandings of the genetic causes of cancer.
Fellow biologist Tyler Jacks was also honored for his pioneering work in cancer genetics. In recognition of his genetically engineered mouse models and investigations into cancer progression and treatment, Jacks will deliver the 2020 AACR Princess Takamatsu Memorial Lecture at the 2021 AACR annual meeting. |
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Immunostimulatory Nanoparticles Improve Checkpoint Therapy
The Bhatia Lab is developing a modular nanoparticle system to make immunotherapy more accessible and effective across a wider swath of cancer patients. Their tumor-targeting and membrane-penetrating peptides deliver small pieces of DNA to amplify the body’s immune response to tumors and boost the effectiveness of immunotherapy drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors. By combining the particles with the checkpoint inhibitor antibody in mouse models of cancer, researchers were able to halt cancer progression and generate a systemic response against treated and untreated tumors. The work, published in PNAS, was supported in part by the Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine. |
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Dissecting Discrimination
Picture a Scientist combines hard data and personal experience to continue the conversation begun by Nancy Hopkins in “A Study on the Status of Women Faculty in Science at MIT.” Documenting the story behind the landmark report, the film examines the persistence of gender discrimination and the considerable barriers facing women scientists—particularly women of color—over the last two decades. |
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KEAP-ing Lung Cancer in Check
The Jacks Lab identified a new therapeutic target for an aggressive form of lung cancer. In a new study appearing in Nature Cancer, genomic screens paired with tests in cell lines and mouse models suggest inhibition of the gene Slc33a1 as a treatment for KEAP1-mutant non-small cell lung cancers. |
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Sizing Up Cell Growth
Manalis Lab researchers engineered a larger version of their signature microfluidic mass measurement technology to investigate how cell size and cell cycle contribute to cell growth. The study, published in PNAS, reveals that a cell's growth efficiency is primarily determined by its cell cycle state, not its size, and lays the groundwork for using these devices to monitor growth in large cells and 3D clusters with high resolution. The work was supported in part by the Koch Institute Frontier Research Program through the Kathy and Curt Marble Cancer Research Fund and the MIT Center for Cancer Precision Medicine.
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Cancer Researchers Take On COVID-19
How are cancer researchers fighting COVID-19? A pair of with/in/sight webinars showcased the work of eight KI investigators whose existing tools and approaches were rapidly adapted to address the urgent and pressing needs of a global pandemic, from diagnostics and immunity testing to therapeutics and vaccines. |
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Shared Knowledge for Improved Biomanufacturing
A Love Lab-led consortium unites leading organizations in biopharmaceuticals and vaccines to accelerate the development and accessibility of alternative host cells for manufacturing drugs and vaccine components. With an eye toward global access for health solutions, including pandemic-relevant vaccines, the effort establishes a new framework for biomanufacturing, large-scale production of low-cost biopharmaceuticals and rapid clinical translation. |
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Making Metastasis Visible A new Cancer Research paper draws on Image Award-winning research to explore the influence of the YAP gene on metastasis. Using a transparent zebrafish model and time lapse imaging, Hynes Lab researchers tracked the movement of tumor cells through the vasculature, determining that YAP promotes active migration within small blood vessels and wider dissemination throughout the body. Working with the Manalis Lab to corroborate these findings in a mouse model, the team demonstrated how a single gene can affect global patterns of metastasis. The research was supported in part by the Ludwig Center for Molecular Oncology at MIT. |
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Imaging Science
The Koch Institute teamed up with the MIT Museum for Imaging Science, a two-week exploration of everyday science photography. A series of photography tutorials and webinars featured images and insight from KI Image Awards contributors, including Lina Colucci, Keith Ellenbogen, Felice Frankel, Jeffrey Kuhn, Sudha Kumari, Erika Reinfeld, Quinton Smith, and Matheus Victor. |
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Concentrating on Cancer Drugs
The Young Lab identified a mechanism by which small molecule cancer drugs concentrate within cells. In a study appearing in Science, researchers added cisplatin and mitoxantrone to mixtures of different types of cellular condensates—tiny droplets of close-packed proteins where complex functions are carried out. Their results offer insight into the effectiveness of cisplatin—as well as into tamoxifen resistance—and suggest that small molecule drugs can be tailored to target particular droplets to increase their efficacy. |
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